WHAT IS THE STRUCTURE OF THE ERASMUS+ PROGRAMME?

In order to achieve its objectives, the Erasmus+ Programme implements the following Actions:

KEY ACTION 1 – MOBILITY OF INDIVIDUALS This Key Action supports:

 Mobility of learners and staff: opportunities for students, trainees, young people and volunteers, as well as for professors, teachers, trainers, youth workers, staff of education institutions and civil society organisations to undertake a learning and/or professional experience in another country;

Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees: high-level integrated international study programmes delivered by consortia of higher education institutions that award full degree scholarships to the best master students worldwide;

 Erasmus+ Master Degree Loans: higher education students from Programme Countries can get a loan backed up by the Programme to go abroad for a full Master Degree. Students should address themselves to national banks or student loan agencies.

KEY ACTION 2 – COOPERATION FOR INNOVATION AND THE EXCHANGE OF GOOD PRACTICES

This Key Action supports:

Transnational Strategic Partnerships aimed to develop initiatives addressing one or more fields of education training and youth and promote innovation, exchange of experience and know-how between different types of organisations involved in education, training and youth or in other relevant fields. Certain mobility activities are supported in so far as they contribute to the objectives of the project;

 Knowledge Alliances between higher education institutions and enterprises which aim to foster innovation, entrepreneurship, creativity, employability, knowledge exchange and/or multidisciplinary teaching and learning;

 Sector Skills Alliances supporting the design and delivery of joint vocational training curricula, programmes and teaching and training methodologies, drawing on evidence of trends in a specific economic sector and skills needed in order to perform in one or more professional fields;

 Capacity Building projects supporting cooperation with Partner Countries in the fields of higher education and youth. Capacity Building projects aim to support organisations/institutions and systems in their modernisation and internationalisation process. In certain eligible Partner Countries mobility activities are supported in so far as they contribute to the objectives of the project;

 IT support platforms, such as eTwinning, the European Platform for Adult Learning (EPALE) and the European Youth Portal, offering virtual collaboration spaces, databases of opportunities, communities of practice and other online services for teachers, trainers and practitioners in the field of school and adult education as well as for young people, volunteers and youth workers across Europe and beyond.

KEY ACTION 3 – SUPPORT FOR POLICY REFORM

This Key Action supports:

Knowledge in the fields of education, training and youth for evidence-based policy making and monitoring in the framework of Europe 2020, in particular: o country-specific and thematic analysis, including through cooperation with academic networks; o peer learning and peer reviews through the Open Methods of Coordination in education, training and youth;

 Initiatives for policy innovation to stimulate innovative policy development among stakeholders and to enable public authorities to test the effectiveness of innovative policies through field trials based on sound evaluation methodologies; 16 Programme Guide

 Support to European policy tools to facilitate transparency and recognition of skills and qualifications, as well as the transfer of credits, to foster quality assurance, support validation of non-formal and informal learning, skills management and guidance. This Action also includes the support to networks that facilitate cross-European exchanges, the learning and working mobility of citizens as well as the development of flexible learning pathways between different fields of education, training and youth;

Cooperation with international organisations with highly recognised expertise and analytical capacity (such as the OECD and the Council of Europe), to strengthen the impact and added value of policies in the fields of education, training and youth;

 Stakeholder dialogue, policy and Programme promotion with public authorities, providers and stakeholders in the fields of education, training and youth are necessary for raising awareness about Europe 2020, Education and Training 2020, the European Youth Strategy and other European sector-specific policy agendas, as well as the external dimension of EU education, training and youth policies. They are essential to develop the capacity of stakeholders to concretely support the implementation of policies by stimulating the effective exploitation of the Programme results and generating tangible impact.

JEAN MONNET ACTIVITIES

The Jean Monnet Activities will support:

Academic Modules, Chairs, Centres of Excellence in order to deepen teaching in European integration studies embodied in an official curriculum of a higher education institution, as well as to conduct, monitor and supervise research on EU content, also for other educational levels such as teacher training and compulsory education. These Actions are also intended to provide in-depth teaching on European integration matters for future professionals in fields which are in increasing demand on the labour market, and at the same time aim at encouraging, advising and mentoring the young generation of teachers and researchers in European integration subject areas;

 Policy debate with academic world, supported through: a) Networks to enhance cooperation between different universities throughout Europe and around the world, foster cooperation and create a high knowledge exchange platform with public actors and the Commission services on highly relevant EU subjects; b) Projects for innovation and cross-fertilisation and spread of EU content aimed to promote discussion, reflection on EU issues and to enhance knowledge about the EU and its processes;

Support to institutions and associations, to organise and carry out statutory activities of associations dealing with EU studies and EU issues, and to publicize EU facts among a wider public enhancing active European citizenship. Jean Monnet Activities also provide operating grants to designated institutions which pursue an aim of European interest;

 Studies and conferences with the purpose of providing policy-makers with new insights and concrete suggestions via critical independent academic views, and to reflect on current issues of the EU, in particular through the annual major international conference on highly political subjects with the participation of policymakers, civil society and top-level academics.

SPORT Actions in the field of sport will support:

Collaborative Partnerships, aimed at promoting the integrity of Sport (anti-doping, fight against match fixing, protection of minors), supporting innovative approaches to implement EU principles on good governance in sport, EU strategies in the area of social inclusion and equal opportunities, encouraging participation in sport and physical activity (supporting the implementation of EU Physical Activity Guidelines, volunteering, employment in sport as well as education and training in sport), and supporting the implementation of the EU guidelines on dual careers of athletes;

 Not-for-profit European sport events, granting individual organisations in charge of the preparation, organisation and follow-up to a given event. The activities involved will include the organisation of training activities for athletes and volunteers in the run-up to the event, opening and closing ceremonies, competitions, side-activities to the sporting event (conferences, seminars), as well as the implementation of legacy activities, such as evaluations or follow-up activities; Part A – What is the structure of the Programme 17

 Strengthening of the evidence base for policy making through studies; data gathering, surveys; networks; conferences and seminars which spread good practices from Programme Countries and sport organisations and reinforce networks at EU level so that national members of those networks benefit from synergies and exchanges with their partners;

Dialogue with relevant European stakeholders, being mainly the annual EU Sport Forum and support to Sport Presidency events organised by the EU Member States holding the Presidency of the EU. Other adhoc meetings and seminars relevant to ensure optimal dialogue with the sport stakeholders may also be organised as appropriate;

WHAT IS THE BUDGET?

The Programme has an overall indicative financial envelope of 14.774 billion EUR under Heading 1 and of 1.680 billion EUR under Heading 4 of the EU Budget for the seven years (2014-2020). The annual budget is adopted by the Budgetary Authority. The different steps for the adoption of the EU budget can be followed at: https://ec.europa.eu/budget/documents/budget_current_year_en.htm

For information about the available budget by action, planned number of projects to be granted as well as indicative average grants, please consult the 2015 4 Erasmus+ Annual Work Programme (https://ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/more_info/awp/index_en.htm)